There is panic in Lagos, Nigeria as the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, has claimed its first life in Lagos. The 40-year-old man from Liberia, Mr. Patrick Sawyer who was suspected with the virus died on Thursday night at a private hospital, First Consultant Medical Centre, Lagos.
Sawyer was said to be a WASH consultant at the Ministry of Finance, in Liberia.
A top official of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, who craved anonymity confirmed it this afternoon, saying that the man has been killed by EVD.
Special Adviser the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, was evasive when asked whether the Ebola victim had died, saying that she could not confirm it as she rushed into an emergency meeting to deliberate on the outbreak of EVD in Lagos.
Officials of the state government, including the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and top health officials in the state were at a crucial meeting to find how to curtail the EVD from spreading as at the time of filing this report.
With the death of the man, there is panic in Lagos on the possibility that the disease might have spread from the dead man to others, as people are praying that the disease should not spread in Lagos due to its large population.
On Thursday, the Lagos State Government had raised the alarm that a 40-year-old Liberian had been discovered to have the EVD strain.
In view of the reported suspected case of EVD in Lagos, Adeshina called on residents of the State to remain calm and take appropriate measures to prevent and control an outbreak of the disease in the State.
Adeshina explained that an outbreak of the disease which is caused by the Ebola virus have been recorded in some neighbouring West African countries like Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.[eap_ad_2]
“You will recall that three months ago, your attention was drawn to the outbreak of a deadly disease known as Ebola Virus Disease in some of the neighbouring West African countries. Current update from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone shows alarming increase in the number of cases and deaths due to this disease,” she said.
According to her, details of the suspected case were obtained from the health facility and that the suspect, working for a West African organisation in Monrovia who arrived Lagos on a flight from Monrovia via Lome on Sunday July 20, 2014 at 4pm had no contact with any case of EVD
“History taken revealed that he had no contact with any case of EVD, did not visit any person with EVD in the hospital and neither did he partake in the burial of any person who died of EVD. However, on account of his working and living in an endemic region for EVD like Liberia; and the presentation of non-specific constitutional symptoms and signs of fever, malaise, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, etc associated with EVD, a high index of suspicion was raised”, Adeshina explained.
The Special Adviser explained further that based on the high index of suspicion raised, the patient was admitted and detained on suspicion for possible Ebola virus disease infection stressing that blood sample collection and testing was initiated which includes samples to the Virology Reference Laboratory, LUTH, Idi-Araba and WHO Reference Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal which she stressed is actively in process.
She stressed the need for residents of the State to remain calm and take appropriate measures for the prevention and control of the disease noting that Ebola Virus Disease is caused by the Ebola virus which outbreaks occur primarily in villages of the Central and West Africa.
The Special Adviser explained that Ebola virus disease is caused by a virus which natural reservoir of virus is not completely known, stressing that fruit bats have been considered to be the natural host of the virus. (African Examiner)[eap_ad_3]
